Christmas was celebrated with devotion and festive gaiety across India, with churches decked in lights, midnight masses, and community events spreading cheer. Leaders extended greetings, and celebrations took place in various states with prayers for peace and harmony.
According to World Population Review 2025 data, United States eats the most cheese in the world. It also the world largest cheese-producing country. In 2022 it manufactured 6.4 million tonnes of the world's output of 22.6 million tonnes of cheese in the same year.
The Madurai bench of the Madras high court on Monday issued an order terming the 10.5 per cent internal reservation for the Vanniyars community in Tamil Nadu as 'unconstitutional.'
'If Mr Rahul Gandhi is coming to Rajasthan he should also know how his own chief minister is throttling the voices of the people belonging to the most backward classes.'
The Madras high court on Wednesday declined to grant a total stay against the 10.5 per cent Vanniyar quota but held that admission in higher educational institutions and appointment in government services will be subject to the outcome of the batch of petitions challenging the same.
At a time when the BJP's stars are at the top on the eve of the Lok Sabha polls, the Puri-Joshimath Sankaracharyas may have kick-started a row whose efforts might be to divide Hindus, not in the name of castes, but on what passes for greater belief, observes N Sathiya Moorthy.
Once the Covid crisis subsides in the state, the NEET exam this year, whether conducted or cancelled, could become an electoral issue next year, along with the BC-MBC reservations issue, especially the 'creamy layer' aspect, says N Sathiya Moorthy.
The Supreme Court on Thursday struck down the 10.5 per cent reservation provided to Vanniyars, a Most Backward Community (MBC) in Tamil Nadu, in government jobs and admission to educational institutions.
Tamil Nadu is the celebrated home of the 'social justice' movement in the country, yet caste differences and violence has only been increasing in numbers and becoming more brutal in recent years, observes N Sathiya Moorthy.
Apart from debunking beauty standards, Escape The Corset also aims to raise awareness on gender equality.
More than half of Mallya's total package for 2015 has been paid by Mendocino Brewing Company for 'promoting' the company's beer brands
While culling the list, a quality of life surveys was taken into account along with factors such as water availability, waste removal, sewage systems, air pollution and traffic density.
The sub-quota scheme may now lead to a ganging up of non-Vanniyars in individual constituencies against the Vanniyars just as in the past, such ganging up against SC-ST candidates was seen in the non-quota constituencies, says N Sathiya Moorthy.
The call for the agitation was given by the Gurjar Aarakshan Sangharsh Samiti. According to police, youths in large numbers blocked a rail track in Bharatpur's Bayana.
World Footballer of the Year Lionel Messi found himself the unlikely figure of controversy in Egypt after a local politician and a soccer official reacted angrily when he donated a pair of his boots to raise money for charity. MBC Masr channel broadcast an interview last Saturday with Barcelona's Messi on the television programme 'Yes I am Famous', but the announcement that the Argentina forward would auction his boots for charity provoked an unexpected response. Member of parliament and television presenter Said Hasasin, appearing on his own talk show, took off his shoes and said he would donate them to the poor of Argentina. "Whose shoes do you want to sell, Messi? How much do you think it will get? You don't know that the nail of a baby Egyptian is worth more than your shoes? Keep your shoes to yourself or sell them to Israel." "Messi, we Egyptians are 90 million people, who have pride, we have shoes."
The National Institute for the Visually Handicapped Regional Centre (Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment, Govt, of India) invites applications from eligible candidate for admission to one-year BEd Special Education (Visual Impairment) course.
Union Health Minister Dr Anbumani Ramadoss on Monday charged the Delhi media with bias against him as he was from the ranks of most backward classes.
Employment guarantee for youths should be incorporated in the Constitution, she said. CPI member K R Ramasamy said judiciary was exceeding its limits and giving verdicts beyond its purview and the Constitution itself.
Formula One and the 10 teams would seek reassurance on issues including human rights, gender equality and media freedom before any race could happen.
This time round, even 'petrol coupons' were reportedly distributed for those attending campaign rallies, especially those addressed by top leaders, cutting across party lines. If this owed to the rising cost of petrol and diesel -- which is a poll issue this time -- there were the customary coupons for 'quarter' (liquor bottle size) and non-vegetarian biryani. Some media reports claimed that some of these 'crowds' attended more than one political rally on the same day in the last week, and at times for rival political parties in adjoining constituencies or districts, says N Sathiya Moorthy.
'When one joins an office most of the initial conversations would always be efforts to identify the new entrant's caste.' 'Once one says that one is a bachelor still, the next thing they would say will be: "We know an educated girl from among our acquaintances, what caste do you belong to?' 'If it is education that is being discussed, they would definitely ask, "Under which quota do you come?",' recalls P Rajeskannan.
The consolidation of the Muslim vote behind Lalu Yadav in Bihar and Mulayam Singh Yadav in Uttar Pradesh may have forced Modi to spin Priyanka Gandhi's neech rajniti statement as a insult to his OBC status, says Dharmendra Singh.
Muslims constitute 20% of UP's electorate. Currently, Muslim voters are divided between Akhilesh's SP and Mayawati's BSP. What will tilt the balance? Can Muslims back the winning party? Mohammad Sajjad explains the mysteries of UP's Muslim politics.
© 2026 Rediff.com - Investor Information - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances